MADRID: Real Madrid, the current La Liga champions, are set to face off against Barcelona this Saturday in the first El Clasico of the Spanish league season. The match, which is part of Week 11, will be held at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu at 7:00 p.m. GMT, with Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez officiating the game.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Real Madrid will seek to use their home advantage to gain the upper hand, while Barcelona will aim to maintain their strong form in La Liga. Barcelona currently leads the league with 27 points from nine wins and one loss. Real Madrid is close behind with 24 points, having secured seven wins and three draws.

In their historical encounters, Real Madrid has a slight edge with 105 wins out of 257 matches, whereas Barcelona has won 100 times, with 52 games ending in draws. The last league meeting between these two teams in April saw Real Madrid win 3-2. However, Barcelona claimed a 2-1 victory in a friendly match in New Jersey before the current season began.

Both teams will be missing key players due to injuries. Barcelona will be without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Ferran Torres. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will host the game without Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Brahim Diaz, and Rodrygo, impacting Carlo Ancelotti’s squad against Hans-Dieter Flick’s team.